News from the Noteworthy from the Community Foundation of Otsego County
Foundation Invests $700K+ To Meet Needs
As Otsego County needs grew in 2025, the Community Foundation of Otsego County answered the call. Including resources from our donor-advised funds, we invested over $700,000.00 in our community. This includes two grant rounds, totaling $235,000.00, which targeted family and child welfare, with a focus on food insecurity and the needs of our county arts organizations, which add so much to our lives.
Every year, Otsego County children need winter coats and outerwear. The number of our kids that aren’t equipped for winter is unsettling. Last year, CFOC awarded more than $15,000.00 in grants to Opportunities for Otsego, the Unadilla Community Food Pantry, and Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties to buy new winter clothes for more than 300 children.
Summer needs are different, but no less important. A $5,000.00 grant made to Community Arts Network of Oneonta supplied scholarships for attendees of the Summer Arts Program for Kids (ages 6-10 years). The kids had a great time and the families were ecstatic. “Thank you so much!” said a guardian who received scholarship funding for their youths. “I was really struggling to afford things for them to do, as I still work five days a week. You have no idea how much this is appreciated.”
You, too, can help CFOC support our Otsego County nonprofits in multiple ways. Make a gift before the year ends to support grants we make to address pressing needs. You can make your gift securely at our website, cfotsego.org. If you are 73 or older, and are required to take a distribution from your IRA, you can direct that amount or a portion of it to CFOC and reduce your adjusted gross income. This year is also a great year to consider establishing a donor-advised fund. In 2026, tax law will change, reducing the potential deduction you receive. Setting up a fund this year means you receive the full tax benefit and can then distribute gifts to your favorite charities in the years to come. Many local donors set up this type of fund with us to streamline their giving.
We’re all in this together, and making sure we protect and support our neighbors is more important than ever. The Community Foundation of Otsego County is committed to strengthening our community and nonprofits. Please help us do this important work.
Jeff Katz is the executive director of the Community Foundation of Otsego County.
